OBJECTIVES: a. We plan to continue sequencing r-protein genes and their regulatory elements carried by lambda fus3 transducing phages. b. We have identified L1, S4, and S8 as translational repressors for the L11, alpha and spc operons, respectively. We plan to delineate the target sites on mRNA for these repressor proteins. c. We plan to isolate mutants which have defects in the postulated repressor functions of these repressor r-proteins. d. Other r-protein operons, such as the str operon and beta operon, are probably also regulated by similar translational mechanisms. We plan to study these operons using approaches similar to those described for the L11, alpha and spc operons. e. Stringent control of rRNA and r-protein synthesis will be re-examined in relation to our discoveries of the translational feedback regulatory mechanism. f. Projects related to fusion of rRNA and r-proteins promoters to the lacZ gene will be continued. g. Metabolic stability of r-protein mRNA will be studied.